Here's to the New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone back in the states. Even though it was rough being away from my family for the first time during the holidays, I'm having a blast celebrating the holidays in Tanzania. We left Zambia on Friday December 22nd and took the Tazara Railway all the way to Dar Es Salaam which lies on the coast of Tanzania. The train took 49 hours, but we kept ourselves busy playing games, sleeping, eating, running around the train etc. It was quite the trip. Tanzania is absolutely beautiful. The mountains are gorgeous. So we spent Christmas Eve and Day in Dar. Christmas Eve we ate at an amazing Indian/Chinese Restaurant and had the most fabulous dessert and champange at a really nice hotel. Christmas day we went to the ocean. We shopped, I actually had a turkey club sandwich for the first time here (my favorite) and drank by the ocean. It was so perfect. Then for dinner we ate a 5 star meal at the Hotel Africa....steak, mashed potatoes, rum cake...we were in heaven. We left Dar early yesterday for Moshi. It took us about 8 hrs on the crappiest bus I've ever been on. Public transport will test your patience like nothing else. So we arrived in Moshi around 14:00 exhausted and hungry. We found a cute cafe and met some Peace Corps Tanzania girls. We are staying in the Kilimanjaro Backpackers Hostel...super cute and actually nice. But this morning takes the cake. At about 6:30 we head the hotel next door to the roof top. The view was amazing. There, right in front of us was Kilimanjaro. I've wanted to be here since I was in high school. Finally a perfectly clear view of an absolutely amazing mountain. It was breath taking. The really red sun was just rising and words can't describe the feeling you get looking up at this massive mountain. Amazing. I'm still in awe of it. So we ate breakfast and I'm currently at this really cute coffee shop (they actually have muffins and bagels here...which is unheard of). Tomorrow we head to Arusha and then on to the Ngorogoro crater. The plan is to spend New Years in Arusha hopefully getting to meet some Maasai (warrior tribe in Tanzania). Then its back to Dar...taking a dip in the Indian Ocean and then back on the train for about two days. This vacation is exactly what we all needed.

I hope everyone at home is having a great holiday. Take care and you'll hear from me again sometime in January! Happy New Year! Oh and I'm going to try and post pictures from the last three months early in January. Tizaonana! Mwende Bwino.